Sharp Is Splitting the Pixel to Bridge the HD–4K Gap

Sharp hopes to ease consumers into 4K by providing a seamless transition.

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

Kicking off its press conference at CES 2014, Sharp announced four new lines of televisions. Among them are the expected full-HD and 4K UHD lines. But most interestingly, Sharp also introduced a 2K/4K hybrid dubbed Q+. This oddball TV is designed to bridge the gap between the two resolutions.

Sharp proudly announced 4 new lines of televisions at their CES 2014 press conferences.

In order to bring a television from full-HD to 4K, the pixel has to quadruple—doubling on both the vertical and horizontal axes. This presents manufacturing challenges that contribute to the exorbitant price tags of current 4K offerings.

Sharp is circumventing much of the manufacturing difficulty by simply slicing each pixel in half horizontally, thereby doubling pixel count in the vertical while retaining the full-HD horizontal. Since the sub-pixels are generally aligned vertically, it's a relatively easy process to split the pixel. This allows Sharp to offer the Q+ series quasi-4K TVs at prices much lower than true 4K displays.

Sub pixels are typically aligned with the vertical axis, making it relatively easy to chop them in half horizontally.

Sharp is promising that this bump in resolution will have an immediate impact on television viewing, even with current 720p and 1080p content.

In addition, the Q+ series is capable of displaying full 4K content... sort of. These TVs will show the native resolution in the vertical and downscale in the horizontal. It may only be a half-measure, but it gives Sharp's Q+ televisions a leg up over current full-HD TVs, since they're incapable of displaying any 4K content.

If you're unwilling to fully invest in 4K, but want to purchase a television with some staying power, the Q+ series might be a perfect fit. These TVs ought to look great with today's best content, and will continue to hang in there long after everyone else has transitioned to 4K.

Sharps Q+ series is set to deliver stunning image performance at Full HD and pseudo-4k resolutions.

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

Follow Us

Get Our Newsletter

Real advice from real experts. Sign up for our newsletter

Thanks for signing up!

Share:

What's Your Take?

All Comments

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.